Why a Non Jew Donated $40K to a Specific Chabad Shliach

Rabbi Gershon Avtzon of Cincinnati, Ohio, has told the following story:

I have to share with you an amazing story that I experienced this past Friday. It’s not a story that happened to other people, it’s a story that I myself have been zoicheh to be part of. And I would love to share the story with you because it’s tremendous chizuk for all involved.

Up front, I will say that I can’t give all the details and some identifying marks have to be changed a little bit, but the story is 100% true. And you can actually see the two pictures that I have uploaded together with this recording.

A little over two weeks ago was my birthday, Chof Ches Shvat, and I made the rounds, either answering phone calls or making phone calls for broches, for yedidim, chaveirim, mishpochah. And there was a certain yedid that I called, he’s a Shliach of the Rebbe in a certain area. And I asked him, “how’s it going?” And he tells me that, Baruch Hashem, but you know, it’s particularly difficult and Hashem has to help.

But he tells me an amazing thing – that somehow at the end of the month, he always sees the nissim, how the Rebbe makes sure that he is able to cover [his expenses], he just doesn’t know how and he doesn’t know who the Shliach will be and how it’s going to work.

I was very inspired to try to help this person. On the other hand, my financial abilities of help is very limited. So by the farbrengen afterwards, which was two hours later, for my hachlata for Tzedakah, I took upon myself to give $100 a week to a group of shluchim that I care very much about, a rotation. And this Shliach was the first one. That night, I went to his website and I sent him $100 and I told him, Im Yirtze Hashem, every couple of weeks, he’ll be able to buy himself a coffee and a danish, courtesy of the Avtzon family of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Fast forward two weeks to this Friday. I get a text message from a Shliach, which is in driving distance of my house. And he tells me, “Gershon, is this so and so Shliach (who had inspired me with his faith that the Rebbe always helps him cover his expenses), is this person a Levi from the tribe of Leviim? It was one o’clock in the afternoon, Erev Shabbos, Parshas Tetzave, 5784. And I’m wondering to myself, why is this Shliach worried if the other Shliach is a Levi? But I figured to myself, it’s probably because he is making an online order for Mishloach Manos, and he wants to give to a Cohen, a Levi and a Yisrael. So he’s making sure that this person is a Levi.

So I respond, yes, it’s confirmed, I know this person is a Levi. And I go about my day. About an hour later, it’s two o’clock now in the afternoon, and I get another phone call from this shliach. And he says, “where are you going to be in the next half hour?”

I said, I’m actually going to be picking up my kids from school – in Cincinnati, the school day finishes at 2:30 in the afternoon on Friday.

And he says, fine, I have to meet you.

I meet him, and in his car, there’s a small box. And he tells me, “I don’t know exactly what’s in this box.” But this afternoon, in the course of his meetings with people, he meets a non-Jewish person, a real believing person. And the person tells him that for the last couple of years, he lives biblically. And he’s been tithing, and he’s giving money for bikkurim, first fruits. He says, he knows that there used to be the concept of giving it to the Levites, and those from the Mishpachas HaLeviyim. But he knows that these days there are no Levites. So, he’s figuring out what to do with this tithing.

And the Shliach tells him, “what do you mean there’s no Levites? I have plenty of friends which are Levites.” The man replied, “if you know someone that’s a Levite, put him on the phone. And I want to confirm that he’s a Levite. And please make sure he gets this box.”

Now, it happens to be that the Shliach knows this other Shliach [who is a Levi] well. And he says, Gershon, can you take care of it because he’s very busy. I say, sure.

So I call this other Shliach, [the Levi] and I say, “listen, it’s probably a few dollars, a few old coins, or who knows what’s in this box. I’ll bring it home, and whatever’s inside, I’ll let you know.”

I come home with my son, and we start opening the box. And I kid you not. Out of this small box comes wads of cash. And on my table in the picture, you can see over $40,000 in cash sitting there.

I was blown away. I called the Shliach. The Shliach almost fainted. It’s basically going to cover a very, very important debt by the end of the month – just like he had told me on the phone.

And quickly, we managed, Baruch Hashem, to get the money to him. And now the Shliach is able to take this tremendous hug from the Rebbe, and go about his day. And just continue, I”Y Hashem, to see and to be involved with Nissim.

And I want everyone that’s hearing this, you should just know that if you work hard, you plow, you do the right thing, the right things will happen. It might not come directly from the work that you’re doing. You may not see the connection. But “yesh bal habayis lebira zu.”